Then: In 1984, 19-year-old Darryl Hunt was convicted of raping and murdering a young, newspaper reporter in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Ten years later, in 1994, Darryl’s innocence was proven by DNA. In 2004, 19 years after Hunt was convicted and 10 years after he was first excluded by DNA, the DNA profile from the crime scene was run in the state database, at the request of Hunt's attorneys. The results matched a man incarcerated for another murder. Hunt was exonerated and freed in 2005; his release date was Christmas Eve 2004. The man whose DNA matched the profile at the crime scene, has since pleaded guilty to the murder.

Now: Darryl has spoken to over 200 conferences, schools, film festivals and religious groups to promote compassion and reform on behalf of his organization, The Darryl Hunt Project for Freedom and Justice. Since his exoneration, he has been a key advocate in both state and federal legislation, giving a voice to so many who remain voiceless.